Canada Launches ACTA Bill 91
TrueSatan writes "In an utterly craven move, the Canadian government has launched a bill to bring Canada into full compliance with the discredited, U.S.-led ACTA agreement — an agreement to which most of the world does not agree. To further pressure the acceptance of this awful bill, the U.S., on the same day, released their Trade Policy and Agenda Annual Report (PDF), which calls on Canada to comply with ACTA obligations. For ACTA to take effect, it would require six signatures from the major economic blocks. Tt appears to have no remaining possibility of getting them, yet the U.S., and now Canada, continue to push it forward. The Canadian bill features claims based on spurious health and safety concerns that have been thoroughly debunked by a U.S. report. Despite these claims being so dubious, they remain a cornerstone of the Canadian bill. Similarly, the claimed losses due to counterfeiting ($30 billion USD) stated in the bill have also been debunked. The Canadian bill seeks to give border guards an unprecedented level of control, without the possibility of judicial oversight. Despite a lack of evidence to suggest that Canada is a major source of counterfeit product, the bill puts at risk the fully-legal parallel import of generic items — pharmaceuticals, for instance. The bill would also change copyright infringement from a civil dispute to a breach of criminal law. Pity Canada if this bill is enacted!"
I'm not sure I understand... (Score:5, Funny)
Could the editors please present a less objective article because I'm not sure if I understand how I'm supposed to feel about the issue.
Thank you.
Soma Soma Soma
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More emphasis, please! (Score:2)
This is Mr. Harper, whose Reform/Alliance/Conservative party supposedly stands for individual liberty over the oppression of the corporations, fairness to Canadians and loyalty to the principles of peace, order and good government.
Their actions are a betrayal of their own members, the legalization of the oppression of citizens by corporations and the subversion of Canadian judicial independence from the U.S.
I'm sure his antediluvian core supporters will think this is a good idea, but I suspect anyone un
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matches the situation in the States where Obama rules by executive order. should expect that Canada would lock step with the States on just about anything.
any suggestions on countries where the governments still represent the citizens rather than laying covert plans to oppress and destroy them?
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lol - I heard a stat once, not sure if it's true, however, it was said that Bush Jr. signed more executive orders in last term than all previous administrations combined... I'll have to see if I can verify that.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_executive_orders#Consolidated_list_of_Presidents_and_Order_numbers [wikipedia.org]
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And wiki comes through...
All administrations from 1800 to 2000: 67
Bush Jr. 2001-2009: 291
Obama: 148
He's got quite a ways to go to catch up.
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You do realize that if your argument is "the current guy is averaging a bit better than the previous guy" or "the current guy has the potential to only be half as bad as the previous guy" (I can't tell which one you're aiming for) you don't actually have an argument, right?
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No, my argument is that "Obama rules by executive order" is a fallacy - really nothing more than a conservative talking point (why I brought up Bush Jr. as a counter point). While I didn't notice the consolidated numbers initially, thanks to drinkypoo for the correction, 20 presidents have signed more executive than Obama. The average is 350 orders signed. It'd be fair to say Roosevelt, Wilson, and Coolidge ruled by executive order, but not Obama.
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As much as I do not like Harper, he was elected under the rules. Even if we assume the robocall, etc. stuff happened as alleged, it wouldn't necessarily be enough to take away from his majority government.
It's quite common for majority governments to be elected in Canada by a minority of voters, even 40% as in this case.
If Canadians don't care enough to change the current voting system, we deserve what we get.
No amount of whining on slashdot or CBC discussion forums will change this.
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As much as I do not like Harper, he was elected under the rules. Even if we assume the robocall, etc. stuff happened as alleged, it wouldn't necessarily be enough to take away from his majority government.
11 less seats (166 won, 155 needed) and he would have lost his majority government. He wouldn't "necessarily" have lost it, but there's still a damn good chance he would have.
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"If he hadn't have won he would have lost."
--DarwinSurvivor
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That will teach those Canadian ministers not to step over a voodoo doll of our president ;-)
That single "incident" really made the scale tip over.
http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=40&threadid=35289 [ilxor.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Parrish [wikipedia.org]
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdngovernment/parrish-carolyn.html [www.cbc.ca]
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If Canadians don't care enough to change the current voting system, we deserve what we get.
Oh is that all it takes?! So we change the voting system and elect some other party and all of a sudden politicians become honest responsible people, is that it?
Tell me, what obligations do these politicians have to follow through with a single promise they make during their campaign? If I hire a maid to come and clean the house weekly, I don't hire them with a single condition that if they do a poor job I'll fire them in 4 years, why should hire someone to run the country for a minimum of 4 years any way t
Propose != Launch (Score:5, Interesting)
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Conservative majority and some recent added senators. Why do you think it won't go through?
Re:Propose != Launch (Score:4, Interesting)
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Bingo. This bill will get the same amount of public outcry as the previous ones. And considering I can't even connect to the Government of Canada website right now, I'd say that it's already begun. Even at that, the SCC does have a long history of slapping down laws like this when they go against the interest of Canadians.
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I'm not sure they'll get the outcry.
They're couching the act as a consumer safety issue. They'll cite counterfeit child-seats for cars, Vic Toews will start rattling "you're with us, or you're with the child-killers".
Then the legitimate Conservative position is another layer to the whole thing. This makes big business happy, which means jobs for Canadians, and jobs make the economy tick, allowing everyone to buy the services which the government needs to withdraw from the mooching unemployed.
A bill
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Canada has their own version of Hollywood to contend with, which poses a problem.
Hollywood were among those who pressed Obama to sign ACTA without senate approval, or even letting the senate see it at all (a major constitutional violation - how he got away with that is rather shocking.) Obama won a peace prize after all, if he can be traded on the open market like that, imagine what can happen in Canada.
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Canada has their own version of Hollywood to contend with, which poses a problem.
Yes. It is called Quebec.
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What's to stop it? He has a majority and he has a an iron Hand with his MPs. None of them will vote against it unless he declares it a free vote, which he won't.
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That's the problem with having a strong majority government. They can ram through just about anything with no resistance.
This is just another example of what a minority of citizens in Canada and the States worry about; governments running wild with unpublished agendas independent of political party and with no real concern about the majority of the population.
The old are lucky enough that they won't see the worst of it. The young have been indoctrinated into believing that this is exactly the way things s
In related news.... (Score:2)
Keystone XL passed a notable hurdle today....
There is no whore like an old whore - Brian Mulroney, former Canadian PM and (presumably still) douche bag.
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Don't worry, I'm sure the Liberals and Chretien's billion dollar scams, and attempts to mislead the public by trying to make people unavailable by placing them diplomatic posts was a much better government.
Compared to the Conservatives multi-billion scams? 5 billion spent on the G10 summit, all pretty well in one riding, 35 billion on the F-35 fiasco (swore they'd only cost $10 billion. Or perhaps how he just does not let anyone talk to the public.
Remember his promises of open government?
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Do you know how much money it cost to buy into the program originally? Just shy of $700m. With no further commitment to financing other than buying 20 planes(with no real restrictions as to how LONG it took us to buy 20) at the end of the project at the preferred price.
Back when those were the terms, everyone was for it, and rightly fucking so. When they came back for the next 9 billion we should have cut our losses and fucking ran. It was Harpers government that said yes.
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Why is it that we have to fight shit like this on a seemingly CONSTANT basis? Seriously, they're dredging up oppressive legislation faster than it can be struck down. You can block a thousand of these things, but all it takes is for just one of these pieces of toilet paper to slip past the goalie and it's game over for public, it'll never go away. It seems just short of impossible to get rid of any bad law.
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You got plenty of oil. It's cold but we will fix that soon enough. Copyright is so much easier than manned wars. For your cooperation, we will let you keep your name.
-owners of the US
It's the Intellectual Property invasion of Canada..
OTTAWA - Following sporadic cross border raids into Canada from the United States, Intellectual Property lobbyists and lawyers, along with cadres of lackeys have fully invaded the Canadian capitol city. Should they succeed most Canadians would be tried for criminal conduct where formerly a minor citation and the firm words "Don't do it again, eh!" would have been uttered. Should ACTA pass into law bystanders expect a further invasion of prison builders.
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Harper announced he was building new prisons a while ago, obviously it was in preparation for him ramming this law up the ass of the Canadian people.
I am so ashamed that my fellow Canadians elected this fascist fuckwad and worse yet gave him a majority government so he could ruin the country as he sees fit. The Entertainment industry has obviously spent its money well on supporting the Conservative party of Canada. Harper seems willing to blow them anytime they ask.
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I'd rather be in league with child molesters than with people who threaten my freedom.
Why? Well, what do I have to fear from child molesters? Simple self interest, folks...
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Something like a poorly made power plug charger should already run foul of electronics certification and trade dress requirements.
Adding yet another layer that the knockoff cloners will blatantly ignore and sell dangerous products at low low prices anyway does precisely dick to resolve the problem.
What I am trying politely to say, is that such counterfeit chargers are allready illegal, and making more legislation won't solve the problem. Only tighter enforcement will solve it, and that isn't profitable.
All
Polite (Score:2)
In the End, the US will have it's way (Score:1)
I pray to whatever Gods or Goddesses will listen to me ask them to Not Pass this Bill!
If you're not familiar with ACTA... masturbation (Score:2, Informative)
Therefore, don't forget the it's OBVIOUSLY so ridiculously slanted as to be completely and utterly useless in understanding what it's about. It's so clear that the author is not just biased, but radically, rabidly so. Therefore, te only use for such a article is for the author similarly rabid people to enjoy reading their own thoughts. Mental masturba
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Anything may be sumitted.
Anything may be voted to the front page.
Anyone seeing a problem with that? Now combine it with downmods of unpopular but relevant opinions.
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This site is turning into a meme instantiation mechanism apart from the normal substrate of human minds.
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Well spotted. Because it is obviously the role of the state to enforce obsolete business models. Especially when the ruling party is paid by the people who are dependent upon them. No bias at all there. Nothing to see here. Move along.
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"This site is turning into a meme instantiation mechanism apart from the normal substrate of human minds."
We e-leverage our synergies to that effect for stakeholder fulfillment.
.
Re:If you're not familiar with ACTA... masturbatio (Score:5, Insightful)
It isn't bias if he is right. It may be unprofessional to call bad things bad names, but it doesn't make it biased or wrong, just unprofessional.
Mod parent UP please (Score:2)
It isn't bias if he is right. It may be unprofessional to call bad things bad names, but it doesn't make it biased or wrong, just unprofessional.
This!
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Re:If you're not familiar with ACTA... masturbatio (Score:5, Funny)
I don't know about you, but I don't actually feel like anyone has jerked me off. It is clear how they want me to feel about it, which would be offensive in a newspaper but which I find completely acceptable in a blog. Slashdot is not and never has been a credible news outlet, because it is not a news outlet. It is a blogreggator. Yes, I made that word up to make you hate me.
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It is a blogreggator.
So then the article is "blogreggation"?
Meanwhile, in the South... (Score:2)
Won't happen (Score:1)
Whenever the Canadian Government tries a bill like it, it ends up not going through or delayed enough to the point of the next election, then it's ignored for a while.
Maple Leaf State (Score:2)
....it seems to me that's where this is heading unless the Canadians get some backbone.
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....it seems to me that's where this is heading unless the Canadians get some backbone.
It was a mistake taking Maestro Fresh Wes' advice to let our backbone slide in the late 80s. We might have fared better with a fixed backbone.
Ugh (Score:1)
How did this crapola get past the firehose?
ACTA Canada (Score:2)
We don't see a public outcry against the TPP Agreement's IPR Chapter, we don't see an public outcry against the copyright provisions in CETA, and the defeat of ACTA in Europe was just a by-line. We do seem SOME negative flak for CETA as it relates to the price Seniors have to pay for their meds.
Question: which Canadian MP is a Champion of Internet Freedom and the reigning-in of the Copyright Industry's World-Wide Ratcheting system? Answer: none!